Gurdaspur has to change with time if it has to grow

Not long ago, Gurdaspur was infamous for just two things — drones and drugs. Pakistani state and non-state actors would send supplies of high-grade heroin which would be dropped 10-12 kms away from the city near the international border.

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The packets of heroin would then find their way into the homes of youth, get unpacked and then readied for further distribution.

Now, in a dramatic turn of events, things have changed. And they have changed for the better. The drones have stopped coming. The reason is that officially, Operation Sindoor is still not over. The Pakistanis know that any infringement, deliberate or inadvertent, will invite the wrath of Indians. If the drones are nowhere to be seen these days, heroin too has vanished off the city’s map. This development has given much needed respite to parents of addicts in particular and society in general.

With these vices now being relegated to the background, the administrators are focusing on developing the city so that infrastructure wise, it becomes at par with other big towns of Punjab. Much to the delight of commuters, the old bus stand has been moved to a new address, just on the outskirts of the 500-year-old city. This has considerably decongested the once cramped town. Plans have also been chalked out by railway authorities to remove encroachments on the narrow road leading to the station. Obviously, like the bus stand, the station cannot be moved to a new location. So, the next best thing to do was to remove the infringements, a majority of them politically motivated. Politicians are trying their level best not to let the authorities touch these structures. The owners of these encroachments are their vote banks. However, when the government decides to act, it does, irrespective of political pulls and pressures.

More plans are being put in place to beautify the town which is five centuries old. The city will be sporting a new look within the next two years. Experts say the housing sector has the potential to boom if the government gives tax rebates keeping in view the fact that it is a border city.

The Civil Hospital, an entity primarily meant for the lower strata of society, was shifted to Babri village, 6 kms from the city. The footfall had dropped significantly. No patient or his kin were willing to travel so far. A powerful section of residents demanded that the health facility should be brought back to its original place, right in the heart of the city. Private hospitals started raking in the moolah because people had no option except to visit them. The poor were fleeced no end. Senior AAP leader Raman Bahl took up cudgels on behalf of the beleaguered residents. Now, more than 30 per cent of the departments, including the emergency ward, have been brought back. The man behind the move to restore the hospital’s original glory undoubtedly is Bahl. The poor now no longer have to trudge lost distances. People who are in the know claim that some more departments are being brought back soon.

Old-timers point out that the city can be developed provided certain entities are removed. One of them is the Central Jail right in the heart of the city. If it is relocated to the outskirts, the city’s inner parts can open up and subsequently the town can be developed in a much more spacious way.

Residents Welfare Associations claim the authorities need to have a re-look at the decades-old sewerage system. The town becomes a massive swamp during the monsoons because the outlet pipes are choked. Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh has taken it upon himself to get things back on track to ensure the town is not flooded during the rains.

The city is often referred to as a backward one because of its mediocre educational facilities and the fact that barring some rice mills, it has no industry worth its name. Historically, the district has been designated as a ‘backward area’ under certain provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Without industrial units, there can be no employment opportunities. With many foreign governments putting a cap on students coming to their country, youngsters have been caught in a quandary. Once out of college, they try to find jobs but are unable to do so. It is a fact that big-ticket industries are not willing to come here because of the city’s proximity to the Pakistan border. The government is planning to open skill development centres. Experts say these can prove to be a game-changer for youngsters desirous of starting their own ventures.

While on educational facilities, one institution that stands apart is the Pt Mohan Lal SD College for Women. Over the years, it has become one of the best managed institutions not only in Gurdaspur but in the entire Majha. Credit goes to Principal Neeru Sharma and her staff.

But then, one swallow does not make a summer. More such institutions are needed if the city has to find a prominent place on the state’s educational map. The Sardar Beant Singh University, an engineering and technology institution, and the Institute of Hotel Management, too are making rapid strides towards being top notch institutions, but much more needs to be done.

Traffic bottlenecks have become so prominent that people prefer to walk rather than commute on vehicles. Some years ago, then Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nanak Singh tried to tide over the traffic mess and had even chalked out elaborate plans. However, when he wanted to execute his strategies, he got transferred. He had also asked shopkeepers and other commercial establishments to empty their basements and use them for parking purposes. These shopkeepers get their maps passed from the municipal committee showing basements as parking places. However, barring a few, nobody uses them for parking. Instead they are used for commercial purposes. Private hospitals are the biggest offenders. Shopkeepers have reverted to their old habits because they know Nanak Singh is no longer there to keep an eye on them. Had the basements been used for parking, the city could have breathed easy as traffic congestion would have been obliterated in a big way.

Change is the essence of growth. The city will grow only if it changes. Cities, which do not expand, die. And it is the administrators’ job to change things if they have to make the town a better place to live in. Otherwise, it will remain the only town in Punjab which does not have traffic lights, zebra crossings and footpaths. This seems to be straight out of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” but it is true.